Bill Of Law: Simplification Of Access To Certain Professions In Luxembourg

On 22 December 2017, the Luxembourg Minister of Economics filed Bill of law 7228 ("Bill") aiming to amend the Law of 2 September 2011 on access to certain professions, as amended ("2011 Law") with the Luxembourg Parliament.

The 2011 Law provides for the requirements to be met by persons who contemplate pursuing certain activities such as commercial or handicraft activities, certain independent activities, as well as the running of a large-scale retail store (i.e. a retail store having a sales area exceeding 400 square metres).

The Bill provides for several measures to ease the current administrative burden with the aim of inducing entrepreneurship in Luxembourg, by notably providing for the deletion of the requirement to hold specific authorisation (autorisation particulière) in the case of running a large-scale retail store.

The purpose of the current delivery process of such specific authorisation is to ensure that the large-scale retail store complies with all applicable rules regarding land use and urban planning. It is a cost-heavy and time-consuming process, and the specific authorisation must be obtained prior to the delivery of any construction permits (where applicable).

Deleting the specific authorisation will thus significantly facilitate access to large-scale retail activities in...